HS5' 


uuKe   universiTy   Lioraries 

Obsequies  of  th 
Conf  Pam  12mo  #485 


OBSEQUIES 


Per.  #clir«uil  f  <:  ^ovcl  1.  %, 


%Wm  liy  THE  BISHOP  Olf  TIIK  DIOOKSt, 


"^     ST.  PAUL'S  OHliROH,  AUGUSTA, 


SUNDAY  AKThic  (UJklSTMAS. 


AUaUt^TA,    GA.: 
I-.A5I  IMiESS  OF  CURONICLE  &  SliXTINHI. 

J  603. 


*  ^      •     'N 


■<? 


/'/••7 


t^S5 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


TO  THE  RIGHT  REVEREND  STEPHEN  ELLIOTT,  D.  D. 

Ilccei'cnd  Father  in  Gou  : 

lu  lichalfof  the  Congregation  of  St.l'auls.  and  by  an  nnuniiHousvotc  of  tlu-  vestry,  w^  ;;s';  tlio  p:ivl- 
legc  of  publishing  tlic  vcrj' appropriate  sermon  witli  wliich  yon  favored  us  I'lis  incriiiiij:.  'Vi-  tks'.re  to 
preserve  and  circulate  it,  as  a  befitting  testimony  to  llie  faithful  services,  aiid  niiii.en'  C'hrisr!:i!i  ehanieler. 
of  our  long-loved  Kector,  and  as  a  clear  and  much  needed  exposition  of  th  reI:.lion  which  i.inds  together 
J  astor  and  people  in  the  Church  of  Cukist. 

Hoping  that  you  will  oblige  us,  in  this  matter,  \vc  remain,  Kiglit  IJeverend  am!  Uear  Sir, 
With  the  highCMt  respect,  your  loving  and  obedient  servants, 

WAf.  11,  CLAKKE,  Acting  Ue.tvi  .»f  St.   I'aul'n. 
GEt).  W.  FEKRY.  Wardei 


St.  I'aul'a  V'estuv  lioi 
Su.iday  after  Christmas,  180-2. 


W.  I'.  CAliMlCllAEL,)  V-     ,, 
.1.  M.  NEWIJY,  S 


•■     i 
Savannah,  Hccemler  ^.'^\  Ibfi^i 
Gcnllenien :— Vour   note,   dated  "Sunday   alter  Christmas,"  requesting   a   copy   of  my   F^rmon, 
j/rcacLcd  on  t>unday  last  over  the  body  uf  my  beloved  and  lamented  I'resbyter,  Dr.  Edwaril  E.  Ford, 
>v;vs  received  this  morning. 

If  this  utterance  of  my  heart  i.i  in  harmony  \j[iflti  the  feelings  of  the  Con.i;icgali<.n,  v/hieh  wassolong 
cwuimilted  to  his  chari^e,  I  place  it  entirely  at  their  dispo.-'al.  I  v.  i  It  us  I  Ril,  :iii.l  i.iuy  M;at  God 
may  hli  .ss  my  woik. 

Very  tr.ily  ami  all.  rti..i.ut.!y,  y.,i.. 

I'j  i:ev.  \V.  II.  Clarke,  Acline  K^.-tur;  (n-r.    W.   Kerry,    W'uid.n  ;  W  .  !'.  Carmieliacl,  .1.   .\f .  Nev.  I.v, 

\-.-.t!\;nru 


5463 


c;  ■) 


«N  \ 


Ai.MiGiiTY  God,  with  AVhom  do  live  the  .^i)irits  of  those  who  depart 
henco  in  the  Lord,  and  with  Wliom  the  souls  of  tlie  faithfuJ,  after  they 
arc  delivered  from  the  burden  of  the  tiesli,  :ire  in  joy  and  felicity;  \vc 
yive  Thee  hearty  thanks  for  the  g-ood  examples  of  all  those  Thy  servants, 
who  having  finished  their  course  in  faitli,  do  now  rest  from  their  labors. 
And  we  beseech  Thee,  that  we,  with  all  those  who  are  departed  in  tho 
true  faith  of  Thy  holy  Name,  mny  have  our  perfect  ronsumniation  and 
bliss,  both  in  body  and  soul,  in  Thy  eternal  and  werlastiiiu'  irlory  ; 
throuiih  Jesus  Christ  our  l.ord.     A  men. 


OBSEQUIES 


The  Tiev.  Kdavakd  E.  Foi'.p.  D.  1).,  ontcred  into  rest  at  hall-past 
eleven  P.  M.,  on  Christmas  Eve.  In  accordance  with  the  nnariinious 
decision  of  the  Vestry,  and  liis  own  wishes,  his  remains  were  brought  to 
Aiignsta  for  interment  beneatii  the  chancel  of  St.  Panl's  Ohnrch,  ol' 
which  he  had  been  Hector  for  more  than  thirty  ycar><. 

The  funeral  services  took  place  on  the  Sunday  after  Christmas,  being 
;ils()  the  Feast  of  the  Holy  Innocents,  in  the  following  order ; 

At  IT  o'clock,  A.  M.,  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  in  his  robes,  and  six 
Triests,  in  surplices,  entered  the  CIrancel,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  con- 
irregation,  Avho  had  assembled  to  testify  their  affectionate  respect  for  the 
memory  of  an  old  and  honored  Paster. 

At  the  same  hour,  the  bod}-,  borne  on  a  Iner  by  tJic  Wardens  and 
Vestrymen  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  left  the  house  of  Dr.  Lewis  D.  Ford, 
followed  by  the  family  of  the  depariod.  the  "Wardens  and  Vestrymen  of 
tlie  Church  t)f  the  Atonement,  and  a  fen-  very  near  and  dear  friends. 
When  the  i)rocession  approached  the  Church,  the  liislioj)  and  attending 
I'riests  met  the  corpse  at  the  door,  and  went  before  it  up  the  aisle,  the 
congregation  rising,  the  organ  playing  a  low  dirge,  .-uid  the  I>ish(>p  pro- 
nouncing the  words  : 

"I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,  ;^aith  the  Ln\iD."  ike. 

The  coffin  having  been  de])osited  in  front  of  the  Chancel,  the  Jiev.  W. 
II.  Clarke,  Assistant  Ptcctor  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  said  the  Anthem,  alter- 
nately with  the  congregation  ;  thc>Kev.  W.  II.  Harrison,  Hector  of  the 
Church  of  the  Atonement,  read  the  Lesson  ;  and  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Cornish, 
Rector  of  St.  Thaddeus  Church.  Aiken.  S.  C,  gave  out  the  Hymn,  "Jesv.s 
Savioit.  of  my  soul.*' 

This  Hymn,  always  a  favorite  with  llie  liector  of  St.  Paul's,  had  been 
nsed  during  the  administration  of  the  Holy  Communion,  just  before  his 
<leparture,  and  while  it  was  tung  above  his  lifeless  remains,  he  seemed 
still  to  be  proclaiming  to  his  people  that  Saviot'k,  whose  love  Ik-  had  so 
faithfully  preached  to  them  in  life. 

The  Right  Rev.  Stephen  Ellioll.  1).  [>..  tlien  delivered  the  follMuinj: 
Sermon  : 


1    TllE^^S.    II. 

10.  Yc    iirr    Avitiiosses,    ami    (}<>(1    also,    how    liolily    and  Ju.'Uly    t\\u\ 
unblainca.My  v.'c  beliaved  ourselves  ainoiii;-  y(»n  lisaf  believe: 

11.  As  yo  know  how  we  exhorted  and  coniforted  ami    tdiai-^';ed  v\cy\ 
one  of  you,  as  a  i'ath.er  dotli  his  eliildreii, 

13.     Tiicit  ye  should  Avalk  worthy  of  God,    who  jiatii  ealled   you    into 
his  kingdom  and  glory. 


W  E       A  E  E       W  I  T  N  li  f;  8  E 


8  E  E  :m  o  n 


\  TnESf^ALONiANft— Ch.  4~v.  18-11.— Bnt  1  would  not  have  you  to  be 
ignorant,  brethren,  roncerning  them  which  are  asleop,  tliat  ye  sorrow  not. 
even  as  otliers  which  have  no  hope. 

For  if  we  believe  tbat  Jesus  died  and  r(.se  again.  <  ven  so  them  also 
whicli  5lcei>  in-Tesus,  will  (Jod  bring  with  Tlirn. 

With  what  cxqui^sile  delicacy  dues  the  Apostle  touch,  in  these  verses, 
upon  the  condition  (A  the  dead  lie  who  was  so  bold  when  be  stood 
before  officers  and  kings,  becomes  gentle  as  a  woman  when  be  stands  face 
to  face  with  human  affection  He  who  reasoned  so  powerfully  and  even 
roughly  when  he  was  uttering  truth,  or  grappling  with  falsehood,  melts 
into  tendcrest  sympathy,  as  he  approaches  the  ashes  of  the  dead.  Ho 
knew  that  the  grave  was  holy  ground  to  the  heart  of  man,  and  ere  he 
treads  upon  it,  he  takes  his  shoes  from  off  his  feet,  lest  he  should  wound 
afresh  the  already  lacerated  feelings.  His  Divine  Master  had  taught 
him,  that  the  .sublimcst  grace  of  Christianity  was  its  tenderness  for 
human  misery,  and  it  flows  from  his  pen  with  exquisite  beauty,  a,-  he 
writes  to  his  Thessalonian  Churcli,  of  their  loved  ones  who  had  passed 
before  them  through  the  dark  valley  of  the  .«hadow  of  death.  He  per- 
mits no  gloomy  thoughts  to  mingle  with  the  memory  of  their  departed, 
but  associates  Death  with  sleep,  and  the  Grave  with  rest,  and  the  bodies 
of  the  dead  with  Jesus,  and  their  souls  with  the  love  and  sovereignty  of 
God  He  gathers  around  the  sepulchre  everything  which  might  give 
consolation  to  the  mourning  spirit,  and  even  as  angels  filled  the  grave  of 
Jesus  upon  the  morning  of  the  Resurrection,  so  docs  he  fill  the  grave  of 
all  the  dead  who  sleep  in  Jcsns  with  the  radiance  of  hope  and  the 
presence  of  divinity. 

It  was  around  the  grave  that  the  sublimcst  victories  of  the  Cross]^had 
been  won,  and  it  was  therefore  from  the  grave  that  their  most  precious 
comfort  should  be  drawn.  The  Pagan  v;orld  might  stand,  as  it  had 
stood  for  ages,  looking  gloomily  and  sorrowfully  into  the  grave,  and  see 
nothing  there  but  darkness  and  corruption,  but  not  sof-thc  ^Christian 
Church,     Her  glory  was,  that  Christ  had  triumphed  [over  death,  had 


brought  life  and  imiiiortality  to  light,  had  rolled  away  the  great  stone 
from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre,  had  irradiated  all  its  dark  chambers  with 
light  and  love,  and  was  only  awaiting  the  consummation  of  all  things,  to 
return  in  triumph,  and  bring  with  him,  in  their  spiritualised  and  glorified 
bodies,  all  who  had  follen  asleep  in  Him.  In  the  view  of  the  Apostle, 
there  was  no  room  any  more  for  such  sorrow  as  had  filled  the  hearts  of 
the  children  of  men.  They  might  yet  mourn,  but  not  as  those  who  had 
no  Hope.  They  might  still  weep  for  their  dead,  but  not  as  those  weep, 
who  are  to  be  forever  separated.  If  they  might  only  believe  the  foun- 
dation doctrine  of  their  religion,  that  Jesus  Christ  had  died  and  risen 
again,  then  was  Death  no  more  a  iCing  of  terrors  ;  then  were  the  dead 
only  asleep  in  Jesus  ;  then  was  the  parting,  which  had  been  so  terrible, 
to  endure  only  for  a  season  ;  then  were  the  loving  hearts  which  had  been 
so  violently  torn  asunder,  to  be  re-united  in  a  world  where  there  should 
be  no  more  curse,  where  God  should  wipe  away  tears  from  ofi"  all  eyes. 
"For  we  must  needs  die,  and  are  as  water  spilt  on  the  ground,  which 
cannot  be  gathered  up  again  ;  yet  doth  God  devise  means  that  His 
banished  be  not  expelled  from  Him."     (2  Sam. — ch.  1-i- — v.  14.) 

And  while  the  Apostle  was  writing  to  tlie  Thessalonians.  he  was 
writing  also  to  us.  The  world  is  the  same  now  as  it  was  then.  It  is 
subject  to  the  like  miseries,  and  needs  the  like  consolation.  Death  is  as 
busy  among  us  as  he  was  among  the  Thessalonians.  The  grave  is  as 
greedy  here  as  it  was  there.  The  heart  is  as  warm  and  tender  in  this 
new  world  ns  it  was  under  those  Oriental  skies,  and  Love  rules  as 
supremely  as  it  ever  did.  We  all  have  our  Dead — we  all  have  our 
Graves.  Memory  is  forever  busy  with  the  past,  and  Imagination  with 
the  future,  and  half  our  lives  are  spent  in  grief  for  what  we  have  lost, 
in  hcpe  that  it  may  one  day  be  regained.  The  most  sensitive  chord 
of  human  feeling  is  that  which  stretches  down  into  the  grave,  and 
it  niusf  Ik-  touched  by  a  Divine  hand,  ere  it  will  give  forth  utterances 
u'iicii  .-hn!l  [)<'  sweet  to  the  soul.  If  man's  impotent  hand  presumes 
tit  :nv(-ep  it.s  strings,  his  (ouch  always  grates  upon  the  feelings,  and 
woM)i<I-;  tiir  saercdness  of  grief.  It  yields  its  music  only  to  '  the 
skill  (if  lliiu,  wiio  could  presume  ic  say,  "I  am  the  Resurrection 
and  the  Life  ;  lie  that  believeth  in  me,  though  Jie  were  dead,  yet 
shall  he  live."  And  it  is  to  Him,  in  moments  like  this,  that  the 
Apostle  leads  us  for  comfort,  and  it  is  His  loving  hand  which  he 
places  upon  the  throbbing  heart  of  the  creature,  and  bids  it  be  at  peace, 
and  it  is  His  gentle  voice  which  whispers  to  the  smitten  soul,  "Them 
that  sleep  in  Jesns  will  God  bring  with  Ilim." 


That  loving  haiwl  uf  Jesus,  and  tliat  gentle  v<>ico,  \yo  need  to-day,  my 
l)olovcd  fcllow-mourncrs,  for  wc  arc  assembled  to  coininit  to  tlic  grave, 
one  not  only  loved  and  honored  in  himself,  but  associated  in  life  and  in 
death,  with  all  the  living,  and  all  the. dead  of  this  congregation.  Not 
one  of  you  can  look  upon  that  body  as  it  lies,  unconsciously  awaiting 
its  interment,  without  memories  rushing  back  upon  you,  of  all  the 
scenes,  whether  of  joy  or  sorrow,  through  which  you  may  have  past 
in  life's  eventful  drama.  For  a  whole  generation,  luis  ho  .served  this 
con^'recation,  izoini:  in  and  out  amonj::  you  as  a  friend  and  a  parent, 
loving  you,  watching  over  j'ou,  guarding  you,  carrying  you  continually 
upon  his  heart  before  God.  Ail  the  sacred  offices  of  the  Church  has  ho 
performed  for  you  through  a  whole  life-time,  receiving  you  into  his  arms 
nt  the  font  of  baptism,  and  sealing  you  as  Christ's ;  instructing  you,  as 
you  grew  into  lifo,  oh!  how  carofully,  i'.i  tho  way  of  righteousness ; 
counselling  you  in  your  doubts  and  perplexities  ;  comforting  you  in  your 
s  arrows :  leading  you,  step  by  step,  to  tho  Holy  Altar  of  God,  that  you 
might  renew  your  vows,  :iud  then  unite  3-our.sclf  with  God,  through 
Christ,  in  the  blessed  Sacrament ;  joining  you  in  the  holy  estate  of 
Matrimony,  and  ushering  you  upon  that  new  life  with  his  sympathy  and 
his  blessing  ;  .standing  beside  your  bo  j.s'bf  sickness,  soothing  and  cheering 
you  ;  commending  the  souls  of  your  dying  into  the  hands  of  God,  as  into 
the  hands  of  a  fiiithful  Creator,  and  most  merciful  Saviour;  committing 
all  whom  you  loveJ,  the  infant  and  the  aged,  the  child  and  the  parent, 
th'^  young,  the  lovely,  the  honored,  the  brave,  "earth  to  earth,  ashes  to 
•ishes,  dust  to  dust."  looking;  for  the  resurrection  of  tic  last  dav,  What 
a  fresh  gu.sh  of  sorrovv  bursts  from  you,  as  you,  in  your  turn,  commit  his 
loved  and  honored  head  to  its  earthly  sleeping  place.  It  is  like  burying 
anew  all  your  own  dead,  like  reviving  all  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  a  life- 
time. What  innuM'.erable  forms  ri.>;eup  and  enc(jmpa.ss  that  coffin,  as  our 
h'-art  mils  Ixu'k  its  memories,  and  gathers  them  from  the  tomb  :  swet^t 
iiiS'aiits  with  tiicir  rhoiub  wings,  wIlmh  he  gave  to  Jesus;  little  pnitller.-. 
now  ^^inging  with  nngels'  nuisic,  the  prai.ses  of  Ilim  wlioai  he  taught 
tliem  to  lovo  ;  young  ::->ldicrs  of  the  Cross,  now  brought  back  from  ^heir 
sacred  r(>sl,  to  testify  'o  his  faithfulness  and  truth  ;  h.usbands,  wives, 
parents,  all  thronging  from  their  tombs,  an<l  elu.stering  around  him,  as 
their  repre.'-entative  upon  earth  I  Wc  cannot  see  them,  but  our  heart's 
love  [)laces  them  there — wc  cannot  hear  them,  ]»ut  our  heart's  ronscious- 
uQ^y-  tells  us  that  they  say,  "Thi^  was  our  best  friend  iii>  earth,  our 
])astor,  our  teacher,  our  guide.  He  led  us  to  Jesus,  liis  voice  was 
tiie  earthly  instrurnent  of  our  instruction — his  wisdom  the  earthlv  means 


10 

of  our  guidance.  His  goodness  wa;-;  our  ex.iniplo,  for  ^,vo  followed  iiini 
as  ho.  followed  Christ.  lie  went  before  uf  in  life,  as  a  faithful  Shcplicrd, 
and  never  left  us  until  he  delivered  ns  into  the  hands  of  our  waiting  and 
loving  Saviour.  And  now  we  hover  around  his  coffin,  while  lie  is  borne 
on  angels'  wings,  as  one  whom  his  Saviour  has  called  to  a  higher  Ministry  • 
for,  "blessed  are  tlic  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord."  Glorious  forms' 
precious  utterances  !  the  proper  and  most  fitting  crown  of  rejoicing;  for 
him  who  has  accomplished  his  sacred  v/ork  upon  earth. 

What  an  high  dignity,  ni}-  beloved  hearers,  is  that  of  a  faithful  Pastor 
over  the  flock  of  Christ.  How  little  do  we  realise,  when  such  an  one  i.^ 
living,  and  moving  among  us,  what  he  is,  and  what  he  represents.  N(n^ 
that  he  lies  dcad'beforc  us,  and  his  memory  is  precious  among  you,  you 
may  learn  a  b.^son  for  the  living  from  the  dead.  That  man,  now  gone  to 
render  back  to  God  an  account  of  his  stewardship,  was,  while  on  earth, 
an  ambas.sador  for  Christ,  as  though  God  was  beseeching  you  through 
him  ;  was  a  watchman  set  ever  you  by  the  Lord,  to  teach  you  and  pro- 
monish  you  ;  was  a  steward  of  the  Lord,  appointed  to  feed  and  provide 
for  the  Church,  and  the  Congregation,  which  arc  His  spouse  and  His 
body.  And  how  faithfully  he  wrought  in  all  these  offices,  your  con- 
sciences now  attest.  How  he  warned  you  in  season,  and  out  of  season. 
How  he  unceasingly  urged  you  to  the  performance  of  your  moral  and 
religious  duties  ! — how^  he  rebuked  you,  when  he  tliought  you  careless  or 
lukcv/arm  I — how  he  exalted  Christ's  Church,  and  endeavored  to  attract 
you  by  its  beauty  and  its  holiness  ! — how^  he  pointed  you  the  way  to 
Christ  through  its  rites  and  ordinances  !  And  when  he  left  the  sanctuary, 
and  went  to  you,  iu  your  own  homes,  how  truly  was  he  a  Pastor,  and  a 
Minister  of  the  Church  of  the  Living  God  !  He  was  with  you  in  all 
your  troubles,  and  comforted  you  in  all  your  afflictions.  When  he  thought 
you  in  error,  whether  of  doctrine  or  practice,,  he  plainly  ana  fearlessly 
told  you  so,  and  when  he  deemed  it  necessary,  he  brought  the  disci], line 
of  the  Church,  without  fear  or  i^ivor,  to  bear  upon  your  sins.  That  a 
man,  of  like  passions  and  infirmities  as  yourselves,  should  not  sometimes 
have  erred,  would  have  been  more  than  mortal,  when  such  responsible 
and  delicate  duties  were  perpetually  devolving  upon  him.  But  when  hf> 
erred,  he  was  always  sure  to  err  on  the  side  of  zeal  for  Christ's  Church. . 
In  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  especially,  he  seemed  to  live  only  for  the 
Church.  The  zeal  of  the  Lord's  house  consumed  him.  And  surely 
may  this  be  pardoned  a  mortal  man,  when  our  Lord  himself  became 
indignant,  and  fiercely  punished  disrespect  for  His  Father's  temple. 
You  can  see  this  now,  and  weep  over  any  hard  thoughts  you  may  have 


li 

iia<i  r.\  liiiii  who  \\M  ynur  MiuiMcr.  \>\v  vuii  .  .ui  c.ilv  tniiy  relent  ..f  if  l.y 
(nideavoriiig  to  iTi»i(Mn])cr  (linf  lio,  wlio  slial]  stand  in  liis  plnco  })(\si(lc 
tliis  altar,  ^vil]  ]ikc\Yi,-^e  be  your  Paslor  niid  -Minister,  and  iniisf  liiiusclf 
do  as  he  did,  if  lie  Avoiild  di^cliargc  his  duty  to  the  Lord. 

Tlic  best,  aionenierit  you  ran  iiialie  for  any  failure  in  your  perforinaui-o 
nf  duty  to\Yards  the  dead,  is  by  taldng  care  that  you  do  perform  it  in 
future  to  tlie  liviu.i:.  And  1  say  this  here,  not  beeauso  1  think  that  you 
are  especially  eh;iVi:e;d^]c  with  any  su.-ii  ue<xleet  of  eongregational  duty,  but 
because  no  cfjugregat ion  see^s  f„  avAs^^  the  true  relation  of  Pastor  and 
People.  Your  late  i\IiMis!er.T!>  presrMu'o  of  whose  body  T  aiu  now  speaking 
to  you,  loved  you  with  a  lov<^  that  was  peculiar  ;  was  jealous  over  each  and 
every  one  of  you  vrith  ;i  great,  jealousy  ;  considered  you  as  a  part  of  him- 
self, l>ecaus(^  you  \u^vv  a  pj'.rt  r.f  tlse.  flock  which  he  had  gathered- 
ReincMiber  Ito.v  f.-w  you  wer(^  when  hi*  firs!  took  you  in  cha.ri^(>  ;  what  .1 
struggle  i?  ( .->•  him  [nr  years  to  wii)  back  the  children  of  the  ('lunch  ! 
how  b.- was  obliged  to  ])e:ir  and  sulVcr  m;;ny  things  for  the  Church's 
sake.  ;u)d  you  may  well  n-joiee  that,  Hod  spared  him  to  you  so  long,  ft  wa.s 
in<leed  :i  bitter  trial  to  him  when,  by  any  means,  one  of  liis  communi- 
cants forsi^nk  him.  [t  was  to  him  ((flen  like  the  losing  of  .1  limb,  and  his 
gri<>f  was  truly  intense.  And  you  returned  his  love  and  proved  your 
devotion  to  him — nothing  but.  death  would  ever  have  parted  you.  But 
even  with  al!  this,  I  re-afl^rm  that  no  Congregation  really  comprehends 
the  relation  in  whicli  it  should  stand  to  a  faithful  Pastor,  It  measures 
him  too  often  in  a  mere  worldly  scale,  as  it  would  measure  any  Professional 
iMan  with  wb.om  it  chanced  to  be  connected.  It  forgets  that  the  con- 
nexion of  Pastor  an<i  people  is  :i  sacred  relation,  instituted  by  the 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Gliost,  and'  not  to  be  trifled  with  or  rudely 
broken.  Weigh  it  with  the  most  sacred  relations  of  life,  and  it  out- 
weighs them  all.  Who  connects  you  with  God  ?  Your  Pastor,  for  I  fall 
not  into  that  miserable  error  of  the  times,  which  would  connect  you 
with  him  altogether  througli  your  own  spirits.  Who  trains  you  for  life  '^. 
Your  Pastor,  for  the  Church  of  CRrist  is,  in  spite  of  the  world's  unbe- 
lief, the  true  school  of  virtue,  and  of  all  holy  living.  Who  performs  for 
you  all  the  sacred  office^  which  bind  you  to  life  and  to  religion  ?  Your 
Pastor,  for,  in  defiance  of  modern  opinion,  I  boldly  afHrm  that  no  one 
oho  has  any  authority  in  these  things.  Who  prepares  you  for  death, 
and  for  eternity  ?  Your  Pastor,  for  Christ  has  made  him  His  repre- 
sentative upon  earth,  and  has  told  him,  in  emphatic  words,  "Whose  sins 
thou  dost  forgive,  they  arc  forgiven,  and  whose  sins  tho-d;  dost  retain,  th^jy 
arc  retained."     Can  any  relation  iu   life  exceed  this  in  importance  or 


A 


m 


12 

tcruku'ncs.s  ?  (Jnii  ;i  father  (ir  a  motlior  perforin  fur  you  such  ofHecs  as 
<hc?c  ?  Ala.*,  no! — these  belong  on]}- to  the  representative  of  Christ, 
who  stands  in  your  behalf,  at  this  aitar  of  God.  How  highly-,  then, 
should  you  honor  and  esteem  him  fur  his  work's,  sake  I — how  firmly 
should  you  hold  up  and  strengthen  his  hands  I — how  carefully  should 
you  guard  his  character  ; — how  liberally  should  you  shield  him  from 
want  or  necessity  I  He  cannot  do  you  justice,  unless  you  are  tnue  and 
faithful  to  him.  He  cannot  be  successful  in  his  office,  unless  you  be 
co-vrorkcrs  with  him  in  his  ministry.  Determine  here,  over  the  remains 
of  him  who  was  wholly  yours,  your  iR^astor  and  your  friend,  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  that  you  will  grasp  the  I'clation,  and 
his  spirit  will  rejoice  that  his  fiiithfulness  shall  have  left  so  sweet  a  per- 
fume behind,  as  to  rcjoico  the  labor  of  hisn  who  shall  be  his  successor. 

Eut  net  only  was  your  latcllecior  itiithful  to  you,  but  he  w^as  likewise 
faithful  in  all  the  work  of  the  Churcl*.  He  served  her,  through  all  !\is 
long  ministry,  in  her  highest  councils,  and  in  her'most  responsible  offices. 
One  of  those  vrho  selected  me  for  tlic  sacred  office  which  T  now  hold,  he 
labored  with  me,  side  by  side,  throu^ii'h  all  the  weary  years  of  our  early 
strugijlcs  for  the  Church,  and  although  we  sometimes  difr.M'cd  in '(mu- 
views,  our  relations  of  respect  and  love  were  never  even  siiaken.  For 
more  than  twenty  3'ears  he  represented  this  Dioccfc  in  the  highest  legisla- 
tive body  of  the  Churdi,  and  always  with  judgment  and  with  influence. 
He  favored  the  Diocese  with  his  cuuiiscls,  and  his  Bishop  with  his  advice, 
as  <i  member,  and  then  as  chairman  of  the  Standing  Committee,  until  ill 
health  forced  him  to  withdraw  from  the  labor.  As  a  Presbyter  of  tlu^ 
(Church,  lie  was  always  honored  by  iiis  brethren,  and  every  office  ot 
honor  and  of  trust  within  their  gi^,  was  always  first  tendered  to  him 
Highly  educated,  of  the  most  refined  taste,  a  sound  theologian,  clear 
in  his  intellectual  perceptit)Hs,  ardent  in  Ids  feelings,  and  his  impulses, 
full  of  the  work  which  the  Lord  had  given  him  to  do,  lie  presented  Truth 
from  tlu!  iiulpit  with  great  vigor,  and  at  times,  with  passionatv'^  fervor. 
He  loved  especially  to  dwell  upon  the  Church,  bectuise  he  believed  tliat 
the  spirit  of  the  times  was  lov,'cring  her  dignity  as  the  spouse  of  Christ, 
and  was  changing  all  her  objective  teaching  into  a  religion  of  frames  nnsl 
feelings,  which  are  not  ever}' thing  in  Christianity.  But  Christ  was  ever 
in  his  preaching.  Christ  as  the  sacrifice  for  sin,  Christ  as  the  atonement 
for  man's  transgressions,  Chri.-^t  as  ihc  King  and  Priest  of  His  Cliurch. 
Vov  thirty  years  h.e  stood  in  his  lot,  a  bulwark  of  the  faith,  a  cham- 
pion of  the  Truth,  the  friend  of  the  poor  and  the  suffering,  of  the  widovr 
and  the  orphan,  a  witness^  for  Jurist's  Church,  in  the  midst  of  a  gain- 
saying ATorld. 


18 

But  tlio  time  of  lii.s  ministry  at  last  drow  towards  its  close,  and  al- 
though he  struggled  to  pcrf:rm  his  duties  to  the  end,  a  suffering  body 
Ibrced  him  from  the  field,  lie  retired  for  a  time,  leaving  you  in  charge 
of  one  Avhom  he  loved  and  valued,  hoping  that  rest  might  restore  him  to 
his  labors.  Kut  God's  will  was  otherwise,  and  he  was  permitted,  for 
tiie  hist  year  of  his  life,  only  t.)  address  you  by  his  pen.  His  heart 
yearned  to  be  here,  in  his  own  beloved  Church,  to  stand  once  nun-c  jje- 
hind  this  sacred  desk,  to  kneel  once  more  beside  this  holy  altar,  to  go  in 
and  out  among  you,  performing  the  .  sacred  ministries  of  the  Church. 
]>ut  this  was  forbidden  hiu],  and  he  could  only  exprc-s  liis  feelings,  and 
pour  out  his  sympathies  through  letters.  He  loved  you  to  the  last,  and 
clung  to  you  as  his  dear  children  in  the  Lord.  lie  felt  that  ho  could 
say  of  most  of  you,  as  St.  Paul  said  to  the  Corinthians,  "  For  though 
you  have  ten  thousand  instructors  in  Christ,  yet  have  ye  not  many 
Fathers;  for  in  Christ  Jesus  I  have  begotten  you  through  the  G!(;spol. 
Wheretore,  I  beseech  you,  be  ye  followers  of  me."'  To  the  very  last  he 
kept  you  in  his  heart,  and  only  with  his  dying  breath  did  his  zeal  fur 
you  go  out.  He  died  in  perfect  peace,  having  received  from  the  hands 
<*f  a  beloved  brother  in  the  Lord,  the  blessed  Sacrament  of  the  body  and 
blood  of  Christ. 

For  him  the  summons  of  death  had  no  terrors.     Nature  shrinks  from 

the  grave — the  loving  husband  at  .separation  from  the  wife  of  his  youth 

the  fond  parent  at  leaving  children  to  battle  with  the  world,  but  in  spite 
of  all,  ho  feels  that  it  is  better  to  depart,  and  be  vrith  Christ.  "  The 
Master  is  come,  and  calleth  for  thee  I''  was  a  summons  which  found  him 
ready — ready  not  in  his  own  goodness,  but  because  he  lived  by  faith  in 
Christ.  Few  men  were  ever  so  readj — so  ready  iu  affairs — so  ready  in 
spirit — So  ready  in  the  works  that  Mh'x  him.  He  had  only  to  turn  his 
face  to  the  wall,  and  die. 
jLmMa  has  gone.  Congregation  of  St.  PauPs,  to  his  well-earned  rest,  and 
^rawaiting,  with  a  full  consciousness  of  blessing,  the  second  coming-  of 
his  Lord.  All  who  have  gone  before  him  from  this  flock,  having  died  in 
the  Lord,  arc  with  .  him  there.  They  stand  together  unce  more,  upon 
that  shadowy  shore,  still  holding  the  relation  of  pastor  and  people,  for, 
nothing  can  dissever  that,  until  the  judgment  has  settled  all  accounts. 
Are  you  ready  to  join  your  pa.stor  there  ?  Are  you  so  living  as  to  be 
assured  of  the  blessing  which  shall  belong  to  tho.se  who  sleep  in  Jesus  .' 
Your  Pastor  must  meet  you  either  as  one  who  shall  adorn  his  crown  in 
the  day  of  final  judgment,  or  against  whom  he  shall  stand  as  a  swift 
witness  !  "Which  shall  it  be  ?     Determjj^my  hearers,  here  this  morning 


rmHj^n 


14 

the  last  time  you  .shall  stand  in  the  presence  of  his  earthly  body,  thai 
you  will  be  one  in  spirit  and  in  feeling  with  him,  as  he  ws  one  with  God 
in  Christ. 

And  now  all  that  remains  for  u.s  is  to  commit  his  body  to  the  ground, 
a  precious  seed  sown  for  innnortality.  There  it  will  be  transformed, 
through  the  power  of  Christ,  into  an  incorrupt  and  spiritual  body,  rising 
in  God's  ov/n  time,  in  power  and  glcry.  The  earth  is  consecrated  by 
the  presence  of  such  immortal  seed,  and  processes  of  immortality  are 
forever  going  on  beneath  our  feet.  The  Prophet  .saw  this,  when  he 
sang,  "Awake  and  sing,  yc  that  dwell  in  du.st."  The  Apo.stle  under- 
stood this,  when  he  said,  ''Them  that  arc  asleep."  Daniel  combined 
them  when  he  foretold,  "And  many  of  them  that  .sleep  in  the  dust  shall 
awake."  Our  loved  ones,  'tis  true,  arc  in  the  dust,  but  they  are  only 
asleep,  renewing  their  strength,  putting  on  their  robes  of  beauty,  awaiting 
the  summons  of  their  Master  to  awake  and  enter  with  him  into  gk«ry  ! 
Why  then  should  we  sorrow  even  as  others  which  have  no  hope  ?  Death 
is  simply  a  sleep.  And  what  is  there  fearful  in  sleep  ?  I'hcy  dllFcr 
only  in  their  duration — one  is  for  a  night,  the  other  for  ;i  period,  whic/.!, 
in  God's  viev/,  is  very  little  more  than  a  night.  Their  souls  are  in  per- 
fect peace,  awaiting  the  will  of  Go'l.  Wb.it  room  for  grief,  save  as  oia- 
own  hearts  may  shrink  from  the  separation.  And  our  Saviour  symj^a- 
thizes  with  us.  He  tells  us  we  may  mourn,  butouly  not  as  t!i().se  ^vhicl) 
have  no  hope — not  immoderately,  not  in  rebellion,  but  rejoicing  thronL:;h 
our  tears,  that  tho.sc  who  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him. 

We  lay  our  beloved  brother  to  sleep  under  tlie  chancel  of  the  Church  he 
loved  so  well.  Over  him  will  be  said  the  prayers  he  delighted  in,  will  be 
sung  perpetually  the  chants  whosti  music  was  in  his  heart.  A  kSaviitar'.M 
love  will  be  commemorated  over  his  dust,  and  the  Gospel  of  great  jo}».r 
will  be  forever  proclaimed  in  his  presence.  8vveet  vVillbe  his  slee'p 
under  such  a  re(j[uiem — quiet  his  rest  in  such  a  cem^'tei'y.  And  W)j,lay 
him  here,  just  v/hen   the  Church  is  commemorating  utie  oi  those -plBLt 


Festivals,  in  which  his  soul  delighted,  It  is  most  belitting  ihat  tfu! 
drapery  of  nature  in  which  the  Ciiureh  clothes  Herself  at  tliis  glori1)us 
season,  should  be  his  drapm-y  of  mourning.  !le  himself  would  have  tlc^-* 
sired  it  so — for  her  key  note  was  always  that  which  harmonized  Aviin  his 
feelings.  Her  joy  was  ever  his  joy,  her  .sorrow 'was  ever  his  .sorrow.  As 
the  truest  harmony  of  his  life,  we  lay  him  to  rest  under  the  altar  of  the 
living  God,  with  all  the  a'rinnents  of  the  Church's  ])eauty  rich  upon 
her. ' 


* 


15 

After  the  .sermon,  the  Vestry  of  St.  ruul's  entered  the  Chancel  and 
removed  the  altar  to  one  side,  exposing  an  opening  in  the  floor;  while 
the  coffin,  reverently  borne  by  the  attendant  Priests,  was  taken  from  the 
aisle  and  placed  directly  above  tlie  gmve.  The  Rev.  J.  D.  Easter,  Ecctor 
of  iSt.  Peters  Churcli,  Rome,  said  the  Sentences,  "Man  that  is  born  of  a, 
woman,"  v'v;c.,  and  the  body  w;is  quietly  lowered  into  its  final  earthly 
home. 

The  form  of  interment  was  pronounced  by  the  l^isiiop,  wliilc  some  of 
tlie  Priests  standing  near  cast  earth  upon  the  body. 

The  Rev.  AY.  C.  Williams,  Missionary  on  the  Ogeechee,  repeated  the 
words,  "I  heard  a  voice,''  &c.,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  the  service 
was  concluded  by  tho  Rev.  John  Neely,  of  Augusta. 

As  the  coffin,  adorned  with  cross  and  crown  of  evergreen  and  snow- 
white  flowers,  rested  in  its  narrow  chamber,  it  spoke  soothingly  of  the 
calm  repose  in  whicli  the  bodies  of  the  Saints  await  the  resurrection  ; 
and  the  congregation  passing  in  order  near  the  open  grave,  looked  down 
upon  the  last  earthly  resting  ])lace  of  their  faithful  and  beloved  Pastor. 
Very  full  of  interest  to  all  who  knew  the  ties  which  had  bound  him  tu 
the  persons  composing  it,  was  this  reverent  procession.  Tliere  were  the 
aged  whom  he  had  comforted  in  their  many  sorrows — husbands  and 
wives  whose  early  union  lie  had  biess^'J,  leading  their  children  admitted 
by  him  into  the  fold  of  Christ — young  men  and  women  whom  he  had 
followed  with  his  kindly  instructions  and  fervent  prayers  from  the  Bap- 
tismal Font  to  the  Sacramental  Altar — poor  pensioners  of  the  Parish, 
ever  the  objects  of  his  especial  care — and  a  company  of  orphans,  past 
and  present  inmates  of  the  Church  Asylum,  that  noble  and  enduring 
monument  to  the  Christian  ])eiieficcnCe  and  enterprise  of  tlie  Pastor  and 
his  wife. 

After  the  last  sorrowing  group  had  de[>arted,  th  •  tomb  was  isecurely 
closed  and  scaled,  forming  a  fitting  casket  to  guard  its  precious  treasure 
until  that  day  when  tiioLord  shall  return  to  make  u[)  his  jewels. 

On  the  night  |):\.ccding  these  itii|>osiiig  solemnities,  the  Rev.  Sv\u 
Neely  (•uiiii)used  !!,•    following:  re(iiiief;i  : 


IG 


SUi;  CllUOE  1.ATET— ItEQlHESCAT  IN  PACE. 


'Neaih  the  holy  Altar  .slonc 
Eest  tliee  now,  thy  labor  done. 
Well  liast  thon  fulfilled  thy  trust: 
There  w'e  lay  thee — du.-t  to  dust. 

'Neath  the  holy  A^ltar  t^toiie, 
"Fought thy  light,  thy  victory  won  " — 
Thine  arms  undimmed  by  earthly  rust, 
There  we  lay  thee — dust  to  dust. 

In  life,  in  death,  a  Priest  of  Ciod, 
In  sacred  vestments  meetly  clad — 
Tiiy  soul  with  spirits  of  the  just, 
There  we  lay  thee — dust  to  dust. 

''  Fir  tree,  piue  and  box,"'  have  come 

To  beautify  thy  glorious  home — 

Thy  own  loved  Church — thrice  hallowed  trust; 

There  wo  lay  thee — du>t  to  dust 

Holy  prayers  above  thee  said, 
Dispensed  the  sacramental  bread  ; 
Till  Easter  break  this  earthy  crust. 
There  we  lay  thee— dust  to  dust. 

Faithful  soldier  of  the  cross  I 
Thine  the  gain,  but  our's  the  loss. 
God  hath  called  thee — God  is  just ; 
There  we  lay  thee— dust  to  dust. 

luthe  Church  Triumphant,  now 
The  victor's  wreath  awaits  thy  brow  ; 
Abide  thy  crown — in  Christ  thy  tru.st 
There  we  lay  thee — dust  to  dust. 

'Neath  the  holy  Altar  stone 
Rest  thee  now,  thy  labor  done. 
Well  hast  thou  fulfilled  thy  trust : 
There  as'o  lay  thee — dust  to  dust. 


w 


• 


17 


OBITUARY. 


Edward  Eugknk  Ford,  was  bom  in  Morristown,  New  Jersey,  on  tho 
eiglitcentli  day  of  Xovenibor,  ITO.").  lie  was  thesoji  of  tlio  ilon.  Gabriel 
IT.  Ford,  a  gentleiiiaii  remarkable  alike  for  the  higlie  t  moral  and  mental 
(inalitics,  and  for  his  literary  and  k\Qpd  attainments.'  After  beginning  his 
edueatioQ  at  the  public  schools  of  his  native  village,  he  appears  to  have 
prosecuted  his  studies  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  aiul  to  this  cir- 
cumstance he  undoubtedly  owed  much  of  the  refined  and  accurate  sdiol- 
arship  for  which  he  was  afterwards  distinguished. 

After  his  admission  to  the  ]>ar,  Mr.  Ford  removeil  to  S.Miih  (.'arnlina, 
and  practiced  law  for  several  years  at  Edgefield  ('.  11.  i>iii  aiiothei- 
and  more  congenial  sphere  of  usefulness  was  opeuiiij--  heft  my-  iiim, 
and  he  cheerfully  gave  up  his  prospects  of  success  as  a  lawyer,  in  order 
to  devote  himself  to  the  work  of  the  Ministry.  With  this  object  in  view 
he  returned  to  Morristown,  and  comjjienced  his  Theological  studies  iukKm- 
the  direction  of  an  eminent  Presbyterian  Divine.  At  this  time  he  lia.l 
not  definitely  determined  to  connect  himself  with  any  pa.ticular  denomi- 
nation, being  content  to  leave  the  decision  of  this  matter  to  the  leadings 
of  Providence,  and  his  own  convictions  of  duty,  after  full  and  mature 
eiujniry.  The  result  corresponded  with  the  bias  which  his  own  mind  had 
received  from  the  teachings  of  his  mother  in  early  childhood,  and  ho 
determined  to  enter  tho  communion  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

Soon  after  making  this  decision,  Jio^became  acquainted  witii  the  Right 
Itev.  Bishop  Croes,  of  New  Jersey,  and  that  Prelate,  conceiving  an  high 
opinion  of  his  qualifications,  andj  foreseeing  very  clearly  the  valuable 
service  which  he  was  fitted  to  render  to  the  cause  and  Kingdom  of  Ciikist, 
urged  his  immediate  application  for  holy  order.s,  and  admitted  him  to  the 
Diaconale  early  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1832.  And  in  April  of  the  same 
year  he  accepted  the  charge  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Augusta,  and  thus 
became  the  second  Rector  of  that  Parish.  He  was  ordained  Prie.st  by  the 
late  Bishop  Bowen,  of  South  Carolina. 

He  continued  to  fill  this  Rectorship  with  great  credit  to  himself  and 
marked  advantage  to  the  Church  and  congregation  during  the  remainder 
of  his  earthly  life — a  period  of  nearly  thirty-one  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1801,  feeling  unequal  to  the  labors  of  his  Parish,  iic 
proposed  to  resign  the  charge,  but  the  Vestry  unwilling  to  sever  the  tie 
which  had  bound  him  to  his  people  so  long  and  happily,  induced  him  to 


18 

accept  instead,  a  furlough  from  active  service.  Under  this  arrangement, 
!:e  retired  to  Floyd  county,  still  preserving  his  interest  in  his  charge  and 
favoring  the  congregation  of  St.  Paul's  from  time  to  time,  Avith  letters 
full  of  kindly  feeling  and  wholesome  counsel. 

On  first  taking  charge  of  St.  Paul's  Church  he  found  only  sixty -eiglit 
communicants,  which  number  had  increased  to  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  at  the  date  of  his  last  Parochial  Report.  During  his  Rectorship  he 
entered  the  following  official  acts  upon  the  Parish  Register :  Marriages, 
172;  Baptisms,  918 ;  Burials,  484;  Candidatespresented  for  Confirmation^ 
270;  Communicants  added  anew,  and  hy  removal.  497. 

The  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  conferred  upon  him  by  the 
Faculty  of  Columb.a  College,  New  York,  was  a  well  deserved  testimony 
to  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  in  tlie  Church  at  large,  as  a  Theologian 
and  a  scholar. 

In  addition  to  the  important  services  which  he  rendered  in  the  General 
and  Diocesan  Councils  of  the  Church,  as  alluded  to  in  the  sermon  of  the 
Bishop,  Dr.  Ford  was  also  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  the  General  Protestant  Episcopal  Sunday  School  Union  and 
Church  Book  Society. 

He  married  on  the  19th  of  April,  1833,  Theodosia,  eldest  daughter  of 
tlie  late  Dr.  Theodosius  Bartow,  of  Savannah.  He  leaves  his  widow  with 
four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  to  mourn  his  loss,  cherish  his 
fragrant  memory,  and  illustrate  the  promise,  "Blessed  is  the  man  that 
feareth  the  Lord,  that  delighteth  greatly  in  His  commandments  His  seed 
shall  be  mighty  upon  the  earth ;  the  generation  of  the  faithful  shall  be 
blessed." 


1 


10 


RESOLUnONS   OF    RESPECT    AND  CONDOLENCE. 

DEATJI    UF   WEV.  DK.  FOPvD. 
ST.  I'Aui/s  rnriM  II. 

Al.  ;i  mocliiii^  of  the  As^^Lstaiit  Ucct(n',  Wardens  and  Vestrymen  of  St. 
FauFs  Clmrcli,  Augusta,  held  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Jolin  the  Evangelist. 
18fi2,  tlic  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were  unanimously  jidopted  ; 

WnEiMCAs,  it  has  pleased  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  to  remove  from 
tliv  i-ccuc  of  his  long  ajid  faithful  pastoral  labors  to  the  rewards  of  Para- 
<iise  and  the  abounding  [)eaee  and  blessedness  of  the  innnediatc  Presence 
of  that  Divine  Mascer,  whom  he  b)ved  so  well  and  served  so  devotedly, 
the  Ptev.  Edward  Eugene  Ford,  I).  1).,  for  more  than  thirty  years  the 
active  and  devoted  Rector  of  this  Ciiui-cli.  lln,'  earnest  and  atrection.-ift^ 
Pastor  of  til  is  congregation  ; 

Therefore,  Rcsohed,  That  in  meekly  bowing  to  this  alllictive  dispensa- 
tion of  His  wise  and  loving  Providence,  we  are  sustained  and  comforted 
by  the  knowledge  that  our  departt^I  Pastor  lias,  for  an  entire  generation, 
not  oidy  been  diligent  "in  season,  and  o'.it  of  season/'  to  j»reach  tlir  un- 
searchable richesof  Christ,  to  our  fathers  and  ourselves,  Init  has  also  been 
himself  a  distinguished  exam])le  of  the  j)o\vei-  and  efficacy  of  that  reliirion. 
which  he  so  assiduously  inculcated. 

Resoli'cd,  That  as  we  recall  to  mind  the  large  Jiearted  liberality  <.!'  uur 
revered  Pwcctor,  to  the  poor  and  needy — liis  unfailing  fund  of  sympathy 
for  the  sad  and  sorrowing,  the  bereaved  and  desolate — his  untiring  and 
fearless  efforts  to  impress  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  people  coml 
mittedtoliis  charge,  those  precions  truths  of  the  Gospel,  as  held  always 
in  the  Church  of  Christ,  which  formed  at  once  the  foundation  and  super- 
structure of  his  own  daily  life — we  gratefully  acknowledge  the  signal 
goodness  of  the  Great  Bishop  and  Shepherd  of  our  soul.-s,  in  so  long 
blessing  this  Church  and  people  with  such  a  Pastor— such  a  friend—such 
a  guide— and  we  regard  his  withdrawal  from  us,  full  of  years  and  honoi-s 
—a  shock  of  corn  Avholly  ripe  for  the  Heavenly  Garner— as  a  direct  cal- 
to  every  member  of  his  ilock  to  follow  him,  as  he  followed  Chi-ist,  bv 
remembering  his  many  godly  counsels,  and  diligently  preparing  to  meet 
him,  and  help  to  compose  his  crown  of  rejoicing,  as  he  celebrates  an  un- 
ending Christmas  before  the  Tlironc  of  God. 

RcsoUeJ,  That  in  offering  to  the  bereaved  widt»w  and  children  of  our 
beloved  Pastor,  our  Leartfelt  symi)athy,  we  do  not  so  much  intend  to  use 
the  customary  languaire  r)f  condolence,   as  to  express  our  sense  of  \\)(^ 


20 

depth  and  saci'edness  of  their  present  sorrow,  and  assure  tlicm  of  our 
earnest  prayers  that  the  Author  of  all  consolation  will  sustain  them  by 
the  richest  tokens  of  His  Presence,  and  bestow  upon  them  those  comforts, 
which  he  has  so  often  dispensed  to  otiiers  in  their  day  of  mourning, 
through  the  loving  ministry  of  him  from  whom  they  are  now  called  to 
part  in  sorrow  for  a  season. 

Resolved,  That  in  testimony  of  our  respect  for  his  cherished  memory, 
we  will  attend  the  funeral  of  our  lamented  Eector,  as  mourners,  will 
provide  a  suitable  resting  place  tor  his  sacred  remains  beneath  the  chancel 
and  will  place  upon  the  chancel  wall,  a  tablet,  commemorative  of  his 
virtues  as  a  man,  his  gi'aces  as  a  Christian,  and  his  valued  services  as  a 
devoted  minister  of  Christ. 

Eesolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  communicated  to  the 
immediate  family,  and  to  the  brother  of  our  late  Eector,  and  be  published 
in  the  city  ]iapers  of  Augusta  and  Savannah,  and  the  C  hurch  papers  with- 
in the  Soutliern  Confederacy,  by  the  Secretary. 

A.  C.  FORCE,  Secretary. 


f'lirRCK    OF    THE    ATONEMENT. 

At  a  called  meeting  of  tlie  Kector,  Wardens  and  Vestrymen  of  the  Church 
of  tlie  Atonement,  Augusta,  held  on  Saturday,  Dec.  27th,  18G2,  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted: 

RcsoUed.  That  this  body  has  he:  rd  with  deep  sorrow  of  the  loss  sus- 
taii'.ed  l>y  ti>e  Church  in  the  death  ol"  the  Rev.  Edward  E.  Ford,  D.  D., 
ilor'f.T  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Augusta. 

l^e^olred^  That  his  long  and  self-denying  work  in  our  midst,  his  altaoh- 
ineiil,  lo  ilit>  (IniiTh,  and  faithfulness  in  setting  forth  the  Divine  Truth 
cnti-ustcNl  to  hi^  kee|>ing;  his  labor  of  love  among  the  poor,  the  sick  and 
the  allli<'led  :  iiis  unwearied  devotion  to  his  holy  calling;  and  his  earnest 
oilorts  In  can-y  <>u  the  Master's  work  in  \\ui  Militant  Church — 
minislL'ring  to  the  good  of  souls  conunittcd  to  his  care,  and  to  the  spread 
of  pure  and  undeiiled  religion — endeared  him  to  us  ;ill,  and  will  make  us 
<'Jierish  his  memory  with  aflectionate  regard  and  reverential  love. 

Resolved^  Tiiat  in  his  life  we  recognize  a  beautiful  example  of  the  faith  - 
ful  Parisli  Priest,  contending  as  the  Christian  soldier  .in  his  Master's 
cause— wliilc  feeding  with  the  bread  of  life  the  llock  allotted  him  by  the 
great  Shephertl  of  the  sheej) — until,  at  the  end  oi"  his  long  ministry,  he 
was  taken  from  the  evil  to  come,  and  made  to  rest  from  his  labors. 


L'rsolrefL  'J'lial  a  copy  of  llicso  resoliUioiis  Ixj  >;cnl  to  tlic  \'cPtry  of  St. 
I'jinrs  Church,  as  onr  testimony  to  the  loss  tliey  have  sustained  in  the 
parting  of  the  tie  hindingtliem  to  their  late  Rector,  and  also  a  copy  fur- 
nished to  the  family  of  the  deceased,  expressing  our  reverence  for  his 
memory,  and  our  sympathy  in  their  bereavement. 

A  true  extract  from  the  minutes. 

CHAPwLES  DWELLE,  Secretary. 

Augusta,  Dec.  27th,  18G2. 


A    FAITHFUL   ]>ASTOK   GONE. 

Some  of  our  readers  will  unite  with  us  cordially  in  laying  a  chaidet 
upon  the  tomh  nf  the  Rev,  Edward  Eugene  Ford,  late  Rector  of  St. 
Paul's  Chui-ch,  Augusta,  Georgia.  Tlie  deceased  Ava>;,  in  years  gone  hy, 
a  cherislied  member  of  tlie  Edgefiehl  Village  community, — a  community 
at  that  time  remarkable  for  the  careful  cultivation  of  all  that  was  genial, 
refined  and  elevated  in  social  life.  He  came  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land, 
and  without  the  design  of  making  this  retired  spot  his  abode;  but  at- 
tracted by  the  manners  and  customs  of  our  ancient  hospitality,  he  liu 
gered  from  month  to  month,  and  at  length  made  his  home  among  our 
people.  Encouvaged  and  assisted  by  the  late  Col.  Eldred  Simkins,  Sr., 
ho  entered  upon  the  practice  of  the  law  at  this  bar,  and  was  tlie  respected 
and,  we  may  well  say,  the  beloved  contemporary  of  IMcDuflie,  Butler, 
Cilascock,  Thompson,  Wardlaw  and  otlicrs,  avIio  then  cast  the  radiance 
of  their  genius  over  the  legal  profession  at  this  place.  The.  graces  of  his 
classical  mind  threw  many  a  beautiful  garland  around  those  halcyon 
days,  wliile  still  lie  held  his  fealty  true  to  Themis  aiul  her  rigid  requisi- 
tions. 

I)Ut  it  was  not  I'or  literature,  not  lui'  the  law,  that  this  estimable 
gentleman  was  intended.  A  voice  from  Heaven  whispered  to  his  kindly 
nature,  that  there  was  a  higher,  JioliiLr  work  for  him  in  the  cause  o(  the 
l.amb  of  (Jod  who  came  to  save  a  i)erisliing  world.  And  sti'aightway.  he 
l.'ft  .'ill,  rose  up,  an<l  followed  the  Miister. 

Tliere  is  something  touching  in  the  i-etlection.  that  for  thirty  long  years 
he  has  niinistei'ed  so  beautifully  in  holy  things  almost  within  sight  d' 
I  liese  scenes  oi' nioi-e  vfinthful  hopes  .•in<l  pleasures— aiul  yet  so  meekly, 
loo,  that  but  lew  of  hi:-  old  associate*  have  heard,  excei)t  from  llie  chance 
encomiums  of  others,  of  Ids  fervid  piety,  his  toilsome  devotion  to  duly, 
:i!i'l  his  hallowed  ciiarities. 

lie  sleeps  beneath  the  clianeel  of  the  Chnrch  wliere  he  lahoivd  so  long 
and  so  well  ;  aiul  :i  tablet  on  the  eh.i.ncel  wall  will  '•eoniineniorate  ids 
virtues  as  a  man,  his  graces  as  a.  CJiristian,  and  his  valued  s<'rvices  as  a 
devoted  :Miidster  o[' CUv\st:'—Jt:J(/rJieU  (S.  C.)  Advertise r. 


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